Fate/Zero 03: The plot thickens….

No action this time around, but in this episode of Fate/Zero, questions that were posed in the previous one were answered and more were made too, with the pace is picking up and the episode culminating on a note in which it confirms that the next one would definitely be action packed.

Gilgamesh sneers at those not watching his regal form...

Nothing much actually happened in this time as conversations between each camp took centre piece in this episode, but it help explain much of what had and is going to happen.

It first start of with Tokiomi explaining that what had happened previously was actually part of his plan to show the other masters Gilgamesh’s true power while placating the obviously unamused Servant.

He proceeds to further implicate Kirei in his little scheme which would be explained later in the episode.

Then the scene jumps to the Rider/Waver camp in which it seems that Rider has made himself home, watching the television and reading military journals in his free time.

Not what you would expect right?

It seems that Waver was watching the events that happened previously and is convinced that Assassin has been eliminated. This was not explained that much but Waver was just one of the few masters who were using familiars to watch the Tohsaka mansion. As Waver rambles on about the benefits of Assassin dropping out so early, Rider completely ignores him and continues watching the television, also rambling on about buying strategic weaponry and planning his conquest of the modern world. But they do eventually start discussing about the recent events, with Gilgamesh’s ability being the main topic before Rider decides to head out and explore Fuyuki, much to the dismay of Waver.

Poor Bill gets targeted by Alexander

It then jumps to Fuyuki Church where Kirei is asking for shelter and protection which is required under the rules of the Grail War whenever a Master loses his servant. It seems that the church is neutral ground for all the competing Masters, but little that they know that the supervisor, Kotomine Risei, is one of the co-conspirators in Tokiomi’s plot. And to make matters worse, it seems that Assassin is still alive and that there is not one but many many more Assassins under Kirei’s control.

Unlimited Assassin Works!!!

This may seems unfair having so many servants but that is the ability of the Heroic Spirit that Kirei summoned, there are many Assassins but individually they are quite weak so they are better used for espionage and surveillance with their Presence Concealment ability. This is closely tied to the true identity of the servant Assassin that Kirei summoned. The main aim for Tokiomi destroying one Assassin so blatantly was to convince the other Masters that Assassin no longer in the Grail War so that Kirei could use the rest of them to help him spy on them without the Masters being wary of the presence of Assassin, with Waver previously showing that he had fallen for the bluff.

The next scene jumps to the Einzbern Camp in which Saber and Irisviel have finally arrived in Japan.

As in the novel, Iri is overdressed for this 'holiday'

Saber is quite dashing in a suit

Saber also explains on of her abilities as a Knight Class servant, saying that she can control any vehicle she can rider in due to her B class Riding skill that was given to her when she was summoned. This Riding skill will play a bigger role later in the series and would prove to be one of the more exciting parts too.

As they travel through Fuyuki, Irisviel explains to Saber regarding her secluded and isolated lifestyle and how much Kiritsugu has given her in terms of her freedom. She also goes on to say that she is just a doll and this point would be further elaborated on later in the story as it would explain her true purpose for being in Japan for the Grail War. Saber, seeing how sad Irisveil is at that point, decides to take her on a stroll through Fuyuki with a demenour befitting a knight asking a princess.

Lady-killer Saber at her best...

The scene then jumps to Kiritsugu meeting his long time associate and close friend Hisau Maiya.

She starts off by briefing him on the events that happened at the Tohsaka mansion, which Kiritsugu immediately suspects to be a charade due to the information he knows regarding the link between Tokiomi and Kirei. He then proceeds to check his equipment while lamenting about his family. Maiya is Kiritsugu’s old partner from the time his was a mercenary before he met Irisviel and they share a bond slightly deeper than that, mainly due to the fact that Maiya was one of the people he saved on one of his many missions.

It then jumps to the Saber/Irisviel date in which they are enjoying a nice stroll at the beach.

As they are busy having a nice chat while at the beach, both Saber and Iri suddenly sense a presence of a servant nearby. This servant seems to not want to ambush them and is trying to lead them to another location to do battle. This behaviour from the servant question is quite different as normally in war ambushes are quite common so it seems that he/she is showing some honour by declaring the intent to fight before appearing. Saber and Irisviel then move to the cargo docks to face the enemy servant who reveals himself, as Lancer, and faces Saber head on while Rider/Waver look on, much to the dismay of Waver due to their viewing postion, with the episode ending with the face-off between the two servants.

Servant Lancer

Rider and Waver just chilling(LOLZ)

Finally action in the next episode...

Overall quite a good episode with tons of information on the plot and story with the only let down being that there was not sufficient time for their explanations due to the time constraint. Again ufotable shows their superb animating ability with the sequence in which Gilgamesh dematerializes being the creme de la creme. More information regarding what was revealed in this episode would be explained later in the series so pardon by short explanations as I did not want to reveal spoilers. The next episode would definitely be very exciting due to the Lancer/Saber battle, with these them forming quite a bond due to their similar beliefs in that ensuing conflict.

Moreover, prepare for a tons of action next week, not just from these two servants(hint) and get ready to be awed by ufotable who would definitely set the bar for action sequences for this seasons’ anime. Oh and watch out for the Rider and Waver combo as even though judging from what they did in this episode, they seem to be the slight comic relief in this series, which they are, but that is just the tip of the iceberg for this pair as they have one of the most touching journeys through the Grail War that you would ever see.